Wrist watches have been used for decades. The emergence of digital electronics brought with it digital watches. And with improvements in electronics, advanced timekeeping functionality has increasingly appeared in wrist-mounted devices. In addition, functionality beyond time-keeping has become possible in small, wearable devices such as wrist-mounted personal organizers and small radios that may be strapped to an arm while jogging.
These and similar devices, referred to herein as “multi-function devices”, typically include one or more user inputs to control operation. The inputs, such as buttons, switches, and dials, may be integrated into a casing for such a device. In a well known example, a digital wristwatch may be switched from a time display to a date display by pushing a button at the perimeter of the watch face. Embedding control inputs within a device makes the device relatively compact. However, this interface can be difficult to operate when a user's other hand is occupied, or when the user is engaged in a physical activity such as jogging or bicycling.
One approach to this problem has been to create athletic apparel that integrates a multi-function device with user inputs that are accessible to the fingers of a user. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,841 to Moore shows a wrist brace with several buttons disposed over a wearer's palm, and a watch controlled by the buttons that is disposed on the outside of the wrist brace and over the user's wrist. In this configuration, a user may wear a wrist brace and a watch at the same time, and may conveniently operate the watch with the same hand that is protected by the wrist brace. As a significant disadvantage, this watch/wrist brace combination is bulky, and is not well suited to use as a general timekeeping device.
There remains a need for same-hand control of multi-function devices. More particularly, there remains a need for a wrist-mounted, multi-function device that can be controlled by the hand of a user that is associated with the same limb to which the device is secured.